The Inside Scoop on Gaming

GURPS Dinosaurs is an absolute must-buy for any dino-fanboy/role-player. Filled with information about all three periods of the Mesozoic, mostly fauna, but there is also some flora information. Describing most of the major classes of dinosaurs, this book was absolutely fascinating, and informative (as many GURPS supplements are). Any GM who plans on running a time-travel campaign would also be urged to buy this supplement.

The book starts out with a short time-line starting with the Pre-Cambrian Era and coming all the way up to the current Cenozoic Era. The detail the different periods in each era and historical events in era. The events are usually one-line descriptions of different changes in life on Earth.

The next section is a group of maps, which I didn't find terribly useful but show the changes in the continents every 50 million years. Interesting, but could have been done differently. A map with some geographical and natural data would have been helpful.

The next 70 pages detail the fauna that lived in the times long ago. Starting with the Paleozoic era (540-248 mya*) and spanning all the way to the Pleistocene Epoch (2 mya to 100,000 years ago). Giving complete stats for most major animals, this section is indispensable when dealing with ancient times.

The next section is on the first humans. The section deals with the different races that inhabited the world before modern man first inhabited Earth. The section on each of the pre-races has complete stats for disadvantages and cultures. Their limitations and advantages are also listed. Along the sidebars runs different commentary and theories on different aspects of these pre-men.

The next to last section deals with making an Ice Age character and outfitting them. The book gives equipment lists and Advantage/Disadvantage listings for Ice Age characters. There is some errata for this section of the book which can be found on the Steve Jackson Games website (http://www.sjgames.com).

The final section of this book gives ideas for different campaigns that this book can be used with. I didn't find this section terribly useful, but it does have a few ideas. Obviously, most people who purchase this book will probably already have something in mind for it. If you are picking it up for campaign ideas, you will be sorely disappointed.

There is also a glossary with a listing of terms that can be helpful to GM's who want to get familiar with the different terms used when referencing dinosaurs and their kin. It also has a wonderful Bibliography, which has some good references, but also some glaring omissions.

Overall, this book was great for me, and I think SJG has once again done a wonderful job of putting out a quality product. What the book lacks in adventure ideas, it certainly makes up for in listings of creatures and their habitats. Personally, I picked up the book because I am beginning to get into dinosaurs, however, this book is still a great addition to any GURPS collection or dinosaur book collection.

* mya i.e. million years ago

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

GURPS Dinosaurs
Author: Stephen Dedman Category: game Company/Publisher: Steve Jackson Games Cost: $17.95 Page count: 128 ISBN: 1-55634-293-4 Capsule Review by Paul Franklin on 07/07/98. Genre tags: none	GURPS Dinosaurs is an absolute must-buy for any dino-fanboy/role-player. Filled with information about all three periods of the Mesozoic, mostly fauna, but there is also some flora information. Describing most of the major classes of dinosaurs, this book was absolutely fascinating, and informative (as many GURPS supplements are). Any GM who plans on running a time-travel campaign would also be urged to buy this supplement. The book starts out with a short time-line starting with the Pre-Cambrian Era and coming all the way up to the current Cenozoic Era. The detail the different periods in each era and historical events in era. The events are usually one-line descriptions of different changes in life on Earth. The next section is a group of maps, which I didn't find terribly useful but show the changes in the continents every 50 million years. Interesting, but could have been done differently. A map with some geographical and natural data would have been helpful. The next 70 pages detail the fauna that lived in the times long ago. Starting with the Paleozoic era (540-248 mya) and spanning all the way to the Pleistocene Epoch (2 mya to 100,000 years ago). Giving complete stats for most major animals, this section is indispensable when dealing with ancient times. The next section is on the first humans. The section deals with the different races that inhabited the world before modern man first inhabited Earth. The section on each of the pre-races has complete stats for disadvantages and cultures. Their limitations and advantages are also listed. Along the sidebars runs different commentary and theories on different aspects of these pre-men. The next to last section deals with making an Ice Age character and outfitting them. The book gives equipment lists and Advantage/Disadvantage listings for Ice Age characters. There is some errata for this section of the book which can be found on the Steve Jackson Games website (http://www.sjgames.com). The final section of this book gives ideas for different campaigns that this book can be used with. I didn't find this section terribly useful, but it does have a few ideas. Obviously, most people who purchase this book will probably already have something in mind for it. If you are picking it up for campaign ideas, you will be sorely disappointed. There is also a glossary with a listing of terms that can be helpful to GM's who want to get familiar with the different terms used when referencing dinosaurs and their kin. It also has a wonderful Bibliography, which has some good references, but also some glaring omissions. Overall, this book was great for me, and I think SJG has once again done a wonderful job of putting out a quality product. What the book lacks in adventure ideas, it certainly makes up for in listings of creatures and their habitats. Personally, I picked up the book because I am beginning to get into dinosaurs, however, this book is still a great addition to any GURPS collection or dinosaur book collection. mya i.e. million years ago Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)